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Book SynopsisThis book delineates the history of minban/private education in mainland China, particularly its current form. It studies the process of policy implementation in the domain of minban education, on the basis of which the Chinese central-local relationships and the contemporary model of state governance are analyzed.Trade ReviewDing's work is an unusual contribution to the literature about contemporary China. Using private education policies in Shanghai as a microcosm, and with a wealth of field data, she delineates a typical policy processes in China. The book explains some of the major puzzles about China held by those who are outside the system. In particular, she has uncovered the paradox between the apparent distortions during policy implementation on the one hand, and the general progress achieved by such policies on the other. Ding's work starts a new perspective of understanding China. -- Kai-ming Cheng, University of Hong KongThis closely researched study of private schooling should interest those interested not only in Chinese education but also in Chinese policy implementation. -- Daniel Levy, SUNY Distinguished Professor, University at AlbanyThe book is based on a well-designed qualitative study with 65 in-depth interviews in 2001 and 2004. Ding tries to figure out the logic of policy implementation in Shanghai as an “insider” while having a clear awareness of the dilemma of studying a policy issue in her own culture. She makes the best use of her identity as an insider, not only as a Chinese but as someone who knows some “inside” stories concerning the issue interviewed. * Frontiers of Education in China *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: A New Framework for Understanding Chapter 3: Minban Education I: The Nation Chapter 4: Minban Education II: Shanghai Chapter 5: Student Admission and Fee Charging Chapter 6: Converted Schools Chapter 7: The Model of Structural Fracturation

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Book SynopsisChina's Quiet Rise examines the possibility of China's peaceful rise and policy implications for integrating China with the global community. The insightful analyses provided by the experts of China studies should be of great interest to scholars, students and policy makers.Trade ReviewThe analysis is sharp, the assessment is balanced, and the insights are profound. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the nature, prospects, and implications of China's rise and its goal of the unification with Taiwan. -- He Li, Merrimack CollegeChina's Quiet Rise tackles the critical topic of China's ascendancy. It sheds light on China's impressive military modernization, intensifying participation in global, regional, and bilateral economic agreements, and expanding presence in regions of the world such as Latin America. Contrary to those who raise alarm about China's political, military, and ideational challenge, the book's contributors reveal that capabilities may not tell us the whole story, that China has been moderate in many of its dealings, and flexible in a multitude of trade negotiations. While countries such as India watch their giant neighbor warily, China has been sensitive to the need to assuage the fears of others through soft power and other means. On top of these contributions, the book delves quite deeply into the politico-economy of cross-Strait relations, giving its readers a rich appreciation of rising China's integration on a regional level and the possible pacifying effects of such integration. -- Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, President of the Association of Chinese Political StudiesTable of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Chapter 1. China's Rising Military Power and Its Impact Chapter 3 Chapter 2. The Representation of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: The Rise of China's Soft Power Chapter 4 Chapter 3. China's FTA Negotiations and Its Regional Implication for Asia Chapter 5 Chapter 4. China's Peaceful Rise and Its Impact on Latin America Chapter 6 Chapter 5. The Rise of the Dragon in the Eyes of a Rising Elephant: India's Perceptions of Chinese Regional Policy and Economic Development Chapter 7 Chapter 6. The Korean Factor in Cross-Taiwan Strait Relations Chapter 8 Chapter 7. Cross-Strait Relations under Ma's Administration Chapter 9 Chapter 8. Integrating From Below: Observing the "Linkage Communities" across the Taiwan Strait Chapter 10 Chapter 9. Exploring Energy Security and Cooperation across the Taiwan Strait

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis collection of essays sheds new light not just on the potential for democratic rule in China, but also on sources of legitimacy that do not fit neatly in the dichotomy between "good" democratic and "bad" authoritarian regime types. Highly recommended reading for anybody concerned about the theory and practice of Chinese politics and what it can offer to the rest of the world. -- Daniel Bell, Tsinghua University (Beijing) and Jiaotong University (Shanghai)Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction: A Cosmopolitan Moment of Legitimacy and Governance Part 2 Part I. Legitimacy in Theoretical Perspectives Chapter 3 Chapter 1. Typological Analysis of Democratic Legitimacy Chapter 4 Chapter 2. What is Political Legitimacy and How can it be Acquired? Lessons from a Deviant Case Chapter 5 Chapter 3. International Dimensions of Legitimacy: Reflections on Western Theories and the Chinese Experience Chapter 6 Chapter 4. "Adaptive Authoritarianism" in Contemporary China: Identifying Zones of Legitimacy Building Chapter 7 Chapter 5. Re-conceptualizing "Legitimacy" for Studying Village Elections in China Part 8 Part II. Reviving Legitimacy in China Chapter 9 Chapter 6. Confucianism as a Legitimizing Ideology Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Legitimizing Leninism Chapter 11 Chapter 8. Authoritarian Legitimacy and Legitimation in Contemporary China Chapter 12 Chapter 9. "Performance Legitimacy" and China's Political Adaptation Strategy Chapter 13 Chapter 10. Morality, Benevolence, and Responsibility: Regime Legitimacy in China from Past to the Present

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Book SynopsisUntil now there was no overview of the air war in Vietnam and the debate it has producedâa debate in which some historians argue that the U.S. could have won the war if it had employed more air power. Frankum fills this gap by deftly tying together the air campaigns over North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.Trade ReviewFrankum provides a concise and insightful summary of the complex and contentious issues of the air war in Southeast Asia. If one has time for but one book on the air war, I strongly recommend that volume be Like Rolling Thunder. -- James R. Reckner, director, The Vietnam Center, Texas Tech UniversityA concise, comprehensive account of the air war in Southeast Asia, packed with data, that covers all theaters of the war. -- John Prados, National Security ArchiveA timely and judicious account, Like Rolling Thunder skillfully addresses both the successes and failures of one of the more controversial aspects of America's war in Southeast Asia. -- John Ernst, Morehead State University, author of Forging a Faithful AlliancePresents a concise history of the air war in Vietnam. * Forecast *Ronald B. Frankum, Jr., . . . offers a compelling, readable, and concise overview of a complex, intricate, and long air war, perhaps the dominant aspect of America's longest war. . . . Much of the earlier writing on air war, mine included, reflected passions attached to the controversies we lived. Frankum's writing—thankfully—is devoid of such emotion. Like Rolling Thunder offers a good overview of a complex story bolstered by statistics, informative maps, photographs of the primary weapon systems, and a useful glossary to make sense of the abundant acronyms. The concluding bibliographic essay alone is worth the price of the book. It will be especially useful in undergraduate Vietnam War courses. -- Earl H. Tilford, Grove City CollegeTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The Early Air War Chapter 2: A Gradual Response: The Air War over North Vietnam, 1965–1968 Chapter 3: In Command and Control: The South Vietnam Air Campaigns, 1965–1968 Chapter 4: The Secret War: The Air War in Laos, 1964–1975 Chapter 5: Nixon's Other War: The Air Campaign in Cambodia, 1969–1975 Chapter 6: A Year of Decision, 1972 Conclusion Bibliographic Essay Appendix: Aircraft Flown in Southeast Asia

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDenis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell followed Marco Polo's route through Afghanistan and twenty other countries, traveling 33,000 miles over two years, in jeeps, trains, and rickshaws, on horse and camel. They are certainly the first to retrace Polo's steps entirely by land and sea, all this without resorting to helicopters or airplanes. * Smithsonian Magazine *The stunning photographs in this elegant book should please even the most casual reader, while the authors’ unpretentious observations will satisfy those who want to know more about a still alien world. A travel/adventure book rather than a study of Marco Polo the man or a history of his travels, this volume deserves many readers. Warmly recommended. * Library Journal *Alongside Belliveau and O'Donnell's enthusiastic narrative are marvelous full-color photos that bring the travelogue to vivid life. * Publishers Weekly *We are given stunning proof of Marco Polo's essential veracity, for the geographic realities and enduring ethnographic facts overwhelm any doubt. . . . They reflect poignantly on the timeless nature of the many Asian cultures they encountered, so many of them threatened by endless conflict. . . . When what you experience exceeds what you can imagine, the physical and spiritual costs can be very high. Is it worth it? Get this book, go along for the wild ride, and see for yourself. * Bookpage *If you missed the PBS special, you can still join the authors on their two-year, 25,000-mile journey that retraced the route of young Polo, his father and his uncle. The text is illuminating, the photos are revealing. * Sacramento Bee *An extraordinary travel book. . . . This is a book well worth reading, filled as it is with adventurous stories and wonderful photographs taken by Belliveau. . . . The book is a touching record of the beauty and charity of the human spirit, a charity undeterred by want, hunger, war, and grief. * Foreword Reviews *[A] lush, stimulating, and often thrilling chronicle. . . . The text is well written and highly informative, and it conveys a sense of wonder and excitement, enhanced by hundreds of excellent photographs that reveal the past and present diversity and richness of the cultures. . . . This excellent work and companion to the public-television film is a valuable introduction to the life and times of one of the world's great adventurers. * Booklist *Stunningly evocative photography. . . . Chapters are framed with compelling and/or illuminating adventures along the way. . . . Historical/literary referencing is braided with camera-eye accounts of the Americans crossing borders illegally, getting caught in a firefight between warlords, speaking carefully with tribal chieftains and brawling with drunken Russian soldiers in the dining room of the Hotel Alootoo in Bishtek, Kyrgyzstan. All in all, a blend of fun, learning and thrills. * Macon Telegraph *Belliveau and O'Donnell undertook a mad quest to trace the route of the 13th-century Italian explorer step by step. . . . Belliveau's incredible photographs . . . are worth lingering over and revisiting. The text is . . . fascinating when the travelers describe the people they meet along the road. * Flagpole Magazine *An extraordinary initiative and travel experience. They set out to demonstrate that Marco Polo actually spent twenty-five years in Asia and reported first-hand about all the wonders he had seen, and I think that after Francis' and Denis' experience few people could still have doubts in this regard. -- Stefano Carboni, Metropolitan Museum of ArtIt was the best-documented journey of its time, inspiring the imaginations and ambitions of countless adventurers, including Christopher Columbus. Now we, too, can follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo, with guides as vividly exciting and engaging as Marco himself. With both their film and this book Denis and Francis have recreated what Joseph Campbell would have applauded as 'The Hero's Journey.' Come take it yourself—and you'll never turn back. -- Bill Moyers

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Book SynopsisThe Scholar and the Tiger is at once a compelling family saga, thriller, social history, and spiritual journey. Written by a noted China scholar, assisted by a writer friend, the story brings to life a tumultuous period in Chinese history while providing surprising insights into China''s emergence as a global power. Wen-wei Chang was born in 1929 as famine gripped northern China, taking the lives of countless peasants, including his father. Only his iron-willed mother kept the family alive. The eldest son, Wen-po, joined the army. Eighteen years Wen-wei''s senior, Wen-po fought bandits, opium smugglers, the Japanese, and Mao''s Communists, becoming known as Tiger Chang.Meanwhile, Wen-weia brilliant scholar from childhoodseemed destined for a career in the age-old mandarin tradition of civil service. But civil war intervened, forcing him to evacuate his ill mother and two sisters-in-law and their children only days before the Communists reached Beijing. In Shanghai, they were reunited with Wen-po, now a leading Guomindang general who commanded the city''s final defenses. Wen-wei refused evacuation to Taiwan, insisting on caring for his mother and making the best life he could under the Communists. But a day after the occupation of the city, a terrified friend told Wen-wei that Wen-po had been left behind and was hiding in the friend''s apartment, putting all of their lives at risk.What follows has all the drama of a spy novel: narrow escapes and rescues, treachery and blackmail, and a final wrenching irony that would tear Wen-wei from his family and homeland. Only after thirty years in America, with a new life as university professor David Chang, is he allowed to return to China to learn the fate of his mother and loved onesand perhaps to heal his broken heart.Trade ReviewThis is the gentle, touching story of a traditional Chinese family whose lives were shattered by war and revolution. . . . Chang's positive attitude gives the book its heart. Recommended for general readers in history as well as memoir. * Library Journal *David Chang, with Alden Carter, has written an autobiography that is remarkable and touching for its personal insights. It skillfully integrates historical and political events in China and Taiwan with the life of a remarkable man. Most of all, it is a good read. -- Thomas J. Bellows, University of Texas at San AntonioThis remarkable memoir of a Chinese boyhood brings alive David Wen-wei Chang’s childhood in a small village in North China and his family’s trials during a 1930s famine and recounts how their lives were torn apart in the struggle between the Chinese Communists and the Nationalists. Throughout, David’s love of family, home, and learning will delight the reader. -- David D. Buck, University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeTable of ContentsChapter 1: The Lucky Daughter Chapter 2: The Enduring Cycle Chapter 3: The Frustrated Scholar Chapter 4: Famine Chapter 5: The Good Student Chapter 6: The Tiger Chapter 7: The Wise Mother Chapter 8: The Tiger at Bay Chapter 9: Exile Chapter 10: America and the Prodigal's Return

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Book SynopsisTurks ruled the Middle East for a millennium and eastern Europe for many centuries and it is an undoubted fact that they moulded the lands under their dominion. It is therefore something of a paradox that the history of Turkey and aspects of the identity and role of the Turks, both as Muslims and as an ethnic group, still remain little known in the west and undervalued in the Arabic and Persian-speaking worlds.This book contributes to historical scholarship on Turkey by focusing on its key foundational myth, the battle of Manzikert in 1071--the Turkish equivalent of the battle of Hastings. Manzikert destroyed the hold of Christian Byzantium on eastern Turkey and opened the whole country to the spread of Islam, a process completed with the fall of Constantinople and Trebizond some four centuries later.Translations and a close analysis of all the extant Muslim sources--both Arabic and Persian--which deal with the battle of Manzikert are provided in the book. It also looks at these writings as literary works and vehicles of religious ideology and analyses the ongoing confrontation between the Muslim Turks and Christian Europe and the importance of Manzikert in the formation of the modern state of Turkey since 1923.Trade Review'This original and thought-provoking book operates on several levels ... a captivating read that is a powerful reminder to Western scholars and students of the achievement of Turkish - rather than Arab or Persian - leaders in the history of the Muslim Near East.' -- Jonathan Phillips Times Literary Supplement 'This is a passionate book with an agenda to address the importance of the Turkish contribution to the medieval period ... as well as presenting a superb deconstruction of a historical event in the memory and ideology of centuries of writers.' -- Jonathan Phillips Times Literary Supplement 'This original and thought-provoking book operates on several levels ... a captivating read that is a powerful reminder to Western scholars and students of the achievement of Turkish - rather than Arab or Persian - leaders in the history of the Muslim Near East.' 'This is a passionate book with an agenda to address the importance of the Turkish contribution to the medieval period ... as well as presenting a superb deconstruction of a historical event in the memory and ideology of centuries of writers.'Table of ContentsList of Illustrations; Comment on Transliteration; Part 1: Medieval Muslim interpretations of the battle; Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: The twelfth -century sources for the battle of Manzikert; Chapter 3: The thirteenth-century sources for the battle of Manzikert; Chapter 4: The fourteenth-century sources for the battle of Manzikert; Chapter 5: Writing the battle; Part 2: The legacy of the battle; Chapter 6: The Islamic legacy of Manzikert - the ongoing Muslim-Christian confrontation; Chapter 7: The heritage of Manzikert: the myth of national identity; Appendix; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisUnder-researched and often forgotten, documentary film-making in Hong Kong includes a thriving independent documentary film movement, a large archive of documentaries made by the colonial film units, and a number of classic British Official Films. In this book, case studies from all three categories are examined, including The Battle of Shanghai.

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Book SynopsisIn this survey Carool Kersten presents the Islamisation of Indonesia from the first evidence of the acceptance of Islam by indigenous peoples in the late thirteenth century until the present day.

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Book SynopsisAhmad presents a social history of the war's leading agents the neoconservatives and shows how this ideologically coherent group of determined political agents used the contingency of 9/11 to overwhelm a sceptical foreign policy establishment, military brass and intelligence apparatus, propelling the US into war.Trade Review'This forcefully argued and meticulously researched book turns out to be enormously relevant to the present moment - Let me reiterate the enormous significance and relevance of The Road to Iraq. It is a work of tremendous intellectual diligence and moral seriousness. We are all indebted to Ahmad for undertaking this major contribution to the debate on one of the central events of this century, whose aftershocks continue to unfold daily, to disastrous effect. With the neocons poised to make a comeback, this book serves as a cautionary tale of bracing urgency. It is a must-read guide to the history of the present.' - Danny Postel, Associate Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver, in The Drouth. 'Ahmad, who teaches journalism in the UK and writes for a variety of American and European publications, traces the remarkable history of neoconservatism in minute detail. He demonstrates its consistent role as the voice of cold-war thinking, segueing smoothly from militant anti-Communism of the era of Scoop Jackson (the "Senator from Boeing") to the new opportunities afforded by Islamic fundamentalism since the 1990s.' - James B. Rule, Dissent. 'A superb analysis of how and why a small band of neoconservatives helped push the United States into a disastrous war. Far from being tough-minded patriots, Ahmad reveals them to be deceitful and manipulative self-promoters who remain influential in policy-making circles, despite the enormous cost of their past follies. His analysis is nuanced, his research comprehensive, and the story he tells is profoundly disturbing.' - Stephen Walt, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Black Gold and Red Herrings; 2. Origins and Interests; 3. Ideology and Institutions; 4. Setting the Agenda; 5. Selling the War; Conclusions; Appendix: Mearsheimer and Walt, Redux.

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Book SynopsisExplores the social consequences of Britain's creation of an Indian Ocean empire that brought millions of Muslim subjects under a single political umbrella for the first time in the modern era.

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Book SynopsisThis book problematises how the sense of self and subjectivities are understood in contemporary China, and provides illuminating new insights on the changing notion of the individual through cinema.

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Book SynopsisCompelling first-hand accounts of the Burma campaign – one of the bloodiest and longest campaigns of the Second World War

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Book SynopsisThe Battle of Kohima was the turning point in the Japanese invasion of India and known as 'the Stalingrad of the East'. It was a bitter battle fought in three stages, spanning three months and ending with the siege of Imphal. If you want to understand what happened and why - read Battle Story.

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Book SynopsisAt the time of his death in 1998, at the age of 47, Norman Calder had become the most widely-discussed scholar in his field. This was largely focused on his monograph, Studies in Early Muslim Jurisprudence (Oxford, 1993), which boldly challenged existing theories about the origins of Islamic Law. The present volume of twenty-one of his articles and book chapters represents the full richness and diversity of Calder''s oeuvre, from his initial doctoral research on Shii Islam to his later more philosophical writings on Sunni hermeneutics, in addition to his numerous studies on early Islamic history and jurisprudence. Calder''s pioneering research, which was based on a sensitive reading of medieval texts fully informed by contemporary critical theory, often challenged the established assumptions of the day. He is known in particular for urging a reassessment of widely-held prejudices which underestimated the degree of creativity in medieval Islamic scholarship. Many of the articles in thTable of ContentsContents: Introduction. Methodology: History and nostalgia: reflections on John Wansbrough's The Sectarian Milieu; The limits of Islamic orthodoxy; Law; Tafsir from Tabari to Ibn Kathir: problems in the description of a genre, illustrated with reference to the story of Abraham. Early Islam: The sa'y and the jabin: some notes on Qur'an 37:102-3; Hinth, birr, tabarrur, tahannuth: an inquiry into the Arabic vocabulary of vows; From midrash to scripture: the sacrifice of Abraham in early Islamic tradition; The ummi in early Islamic juristic literature; The qurra' and the Arabic lexicographical tradition; The Barahima: literary construct and historical reality. Jurisprudence: a) Sunnism: Ikhtilaf and ijma' in Shafi'i's Risala; The significance of the term imam in early Islamic jurisprudence; Friday Prayer and the juristic theory of government: Sarakhsi, Shirazi, Mawardi; Exploring God's Law: Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Sahl al-Sarakhsi on zakat; al-Nawawi's typology of muftis and its significance for a general theory of Islamic Law; The 'Uqud rasm al-mufti of Ibn al-'Abidin. b) Imami Shi'ism: Zakat in Imami Shi'i jurisprudence, from the 10th to the 16th century A.D.; Khums in Imami Shi'i jurisprudence, from the 10th to the 16th century A.D.; Accommodation and revolution in Imami Shi'i jurisprudence: Khumayni and the classical tradition; Legitimacy and accommodation in Safavid Iran: the juristic theory of Muhammad Baqir al-Sabzavari (d. 1090/1679); Doubt and prerogative: the emergence of an Imami Shi'i theory of ijtihad. Indexes.

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Book SynopsisDuring the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries religious zeal nourished by the mendicantsâ sense of purpose motivated Dominican and Franciscan friars to venture far beyond Europeâs cultural frontiers to spread their Christian faith into the farthest reaches of Asia. Their incredible journeys were reminiscent of heroic missionary ventures in earlier eras and far more exotic than evangelization during the tenth through twelfth centuries, when the western church Christianized Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. This new mission effort was stimulated by a variety of factors and facilitated by the establishment of the Mongol Empire, and, as the fourteenth century dawned, missionaries entertained fervent but vain hopes of success within khanates in China, Central Asia, Persia and Kipchak. The reports these missionaries sent back to Europe have fascinated successive generations of historians who analyzed their travels and struggled to understand their motives and aspirations. The essays selected Table of ContentsContents: Introduction; Bibliography; Part I The Crusade and The Mission: The First Crusade and the conversion of the 'pagans', Jean Flori; The Latin Church and the Crusader states, Bernard Hamilton; Missionaries and Crusaders, 1095-1274: opponents or allies?, Elizabeth Siberry; Crusade and conversion after the Fourth Lateran Council (1215): Oliver of Paderborn's and James of Vitry's missions to the Muslims reconsidered, Jessalynn Lea Bird. Part II Discovering Asia: Eastern missions of the Hungarian Dominicans in the first half of the 13th century, Mary Dienes; Simon of Saint-Quentin and the Dominican mission to the Mongol Baiju: a reappraisal, Gregory G. Guzman; Western views of the origin of the ’Tartars’: an example of the influence of myth in the second half of the 13th century, Charles W. Connell; The opening of the land routes to Cathay, Eileen Power; Italian merchants in the Mongol empire, Luciano Petech; Brother Jordan of Sévérac, Arthur C. Moule. Part III The Missions Within the Mongol Empire: The Yangchow Latin tombstone as a landmark of medieval Christianity in China, Francis A. Rouleau; The conversion of the Alani by the Franciscan missionaries in China in the 14th century, Frank W. Ilké; The Il-khans of Persia and the princes of Europe, John Andrew Boyle; An unknown letter of Hulagu, Il-Khan of Persia, to King Louis IX of France, Paul Meyvaert; Christian wives of Mongol Khans: Tartar queens and missionary expectations in Asia, James D. Ryan; The Mongols and the faith of the conquered, Peter Jackson; The missions to the north of the Black Sea (13th-15th centuries), Jean Richard; Index.

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Book SynopsisExcellent. The Economist A gripping account. South China Morning PostWell worth reading. The Morning StarA persuasive and readable narrative. History TodayElegantly written. The Tablet An excellent study. The Chartist Engaging. Asia Times The events of 1949 in China reverberated across the world and throughout the rest of the century. That tumultuous year saw the dramatic collapse of Chiang Kai-shek's pro-Western' Nationalist government, overthrown by Mao Zedong and his communist armies, and the foundation of the People's Republic of China.China 1949 follows the huge military forces that tramped across the country, the exile of once-powerful leaders and the alarm of the foreign powers watching on. The well-known figures of the Revolution are all here. But so are lesser known military and political leaders along with a host of ordinary' Chinese citizens and foreigners caught in the maelstrom. TheyTrade ReviewAdds to our understanding of the rise of Chairman Mao. * The Independent *An excellent new book about the founding year of the People’s Republic. * The Economist *China 1949: Year of Revolution is a gripping account... the book answers in meticulous detail the big question: why did the Communists win?... an excellent record of one of the most important historical events of the 20th century. * South China Morning Post Magazine *An excellent book, which confines its focus to the pivotal year which ended 30 years of chaos and civil conflict and opened a new chapter in China’s history — and the world’s. Well worth reading. * Morning Star *A persuasive and readable narrative of that critical year, accurately emphasising the catastrophic shortcomings of the Nationalists and of Chiang Kai-shek that contributed to their defeat… China 1949 brings this critical year to life and is a good starting point for understanding how the People's Republic of China developed. * History Today *Well researched and elegantly written. * The Tablet *Provides an engaging day-by-day account of those momentous events … For those wishing to pursue the subject in greater detail, this volume lays an excellent foundation. * Asia Times *This is an excellent study and highly recommended. * The Chartist *This book offers an accessible, authoritative account that provides orientation on where things were at the very start of the great Communist project, and some way of understanding better where they stand today. * Asian Affairs *‘A wonderful read for students and general readers why 1949 was a fateful and pivotal year that changed the fate of the most populous country in the world. It shows vividly that the Communist Party did not come to power riding on the tide of a great revolution that swept across China but it seized the mandate of Heaven as successive imperial dynasties had done in the past – by military conquest.’ * Steve Tsang, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the China Institute, SOAS University of London, UK [and author of A Modern History of Hong Kong] *China 1949 is a compelling achievement. First, Hutchings gives a clear, balanced account of the titanic forces that brought to power one of the most important political movements of the 20th century, the Chinese Communist Party. But then, he gives the book a deeply humane and moving heart with accounts of the emotions and dilemmas felt both by those who supported the revolution and those who opposed it. This is history on the grand scale but with a brilliant, observant eye for the complexities that underpin this pivotal event. * Rana Mitter, Director of the University China Centre, University of Oxford, UK, and author of China's Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism *‘The Chinese have recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of a revolution which changed the course of world history. Graham Hutchings reveals the extent of the Communist triumph in that epoch-making year, and the countervailing humiliation of the Nationalists. The book is well researched, tells a fascinating story with pace and elegance, and illuminates what is happening in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong today.’ * Simon Scott Plummer, Feature Writer on East Asia for The Times, Diplomatic Correspondent and Chief Foreign Leader Writer for The Daily Telegraph, and frequent reviewer for Times Literary Supplement and The Tablet *An interesting aspect for today's readers is the book's contribution to understanding current issues surrounding China and its place in the world. * China2025.nl (Bloomsbury Translation) *The victory of Chinese Communist forces over those of China’s Nationalist Government in 1949 is one of the great climacterics of the twentieth century. Not only did it define China’s subsequent political trajectory, but it also shaped the futures of Taiwan and Hong Kong. China 1949 provides a vivid picture of the final act in the long-drawn-out struggle for power in China. Drawing on a wide range of private papers, archival and Chinese-language sources, Graham Hutchings has achieved the difficult feat of producing a scholarly history that is also a real page turner. He has an unerring ear for the arresting phrase, and writes with elegance and élan. His pacy narrative, viewed through multiple prisms of a varied cast of protagonists ranging from political and military leaders to ‘ordinary’ individuals, is peppered with piquant detail that brings the unfolding events of 1949 vividly to life. * Bob Ash, Emeritus Professor, SOAS, University of London, UK *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. Adversaries 2. “The event on the horizon” 3. Peace postures 4. ‘Offshore China’ 5. Crossing the river 6. Taking the cities 7. Parallel worlds 8. Mao’s new world 9. Endgames 10. Afterwards

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Book SynopsisRobina Yasmin is Assistant Professor in the Department of Pakistan Studies at Islamia University Bahawalpur, Pakistan. She previously worked as Assistant Professor at the University of Punjab, Pakistan, where she also received her PhD.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Sikh-Muslim Relations: A Historical Perspective 2. Conquests of Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Treatment of the Fallen Rulers & Population 3. State Policies towards Muslims: Reality or a Farce 4. Sarkar-e-Khalsa: Status and the Role of Hindu, Muslim and European Courtiers 5. Sikh-Muslim Relations in Post Ranjit Singh Period Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn Vietnam during the long nineteenth century from the Tây Son rebellion to the 1920s, individuals negotiated changing interpretations of their culinary choices by their families, neighbors, and governments. What people ate reflected not just who they were, but also who they wanted to be. Appetites and Aspirations in Vietnam starts with the spread of Vietnamese imperial control from south to north, marking the earliest efforts to create a common Vietnamese culture, as well as resistance to that cultural and culinary imperialism. Once the French conquered the country, new opportunities for culinary experimentation became possible, although such experiences were embraced more by the colonized than the colonizers. This book discusses how colonialism changed the taste of Vietnamese fish sauce and rice liquor and shows that state intervention made those products into tangible icons of a unified Vietnamese cuisine, under attack by the French. Vietnamese villagers began to see the power they Trade ReviewAppetites and Aspirations in Vietnam is food studies at its best, but it is also much more. Erica J. Peters demonstrates, with both intellectual elegance and a deeply rooted sense of food, how culinary choices are a marker of historical change. Using a diverse array of sources, she goes against the grain to explore everyday life in Vietnam in the long nineteenth century, affording a penetrating insight into what Vietnamese people wanted to be in a time of economic struggle and colonialism, and into how ordinary people experienced habitus and change, adaptation and contestation, even creativity. Appetites and Aspirations in Vietnam is a gourmet meal that leaves the reader satisfied…. The wide range of narratives of food Peters explores … sheds new light on disparities of gender, ethnicity, and wealth. Food may have been a tool of imperialism; it certainly became a tool of nationalism in modern Vietnam. Nobody would have expected the history of a ‘fusion cuisine’ would tell as much. -- Laurence Monnais, Université de MontréalA reviewer of the wide-ranging Appetites and Aspirations could evaluate this rich study along any number of axes: economic history, the history of imperial and colonial Vietnam, or the history of race and ethnicity, to name a few. Nonetheless, food is most emphatically Peters’s preferred ground and where she anchors her argument that French and Vietnamese used diet to shape radically divergent identities in colonial Indochina….It would be unfair to expect a study so ambitious to succeed equally well on so many fronts….Nonetheless, this fascinating and suggestive narrative of nineteenth-century imperial and colonial Vietnam will appeal to a wide range of general readers and specialists. * H-France Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction Prologue: Hunger and Revolution Chapter 1. Vietnamese Culinary Imperialism Chapter 2. Culinary Diversity in the Colonial Countryside Chapter 3. Cooking up Monopolies Chapter 4. Fighting Back: The Factory Alcohol Boycott Chapter 5. Chinese Cuisine, Commerce, and Contamination Chapter 6. Imported Foods, Imperial Foods Chapter 7. Conspicuous Consumption Epilogue Notes Glossary Selected Bibliography and Sources Index

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Book SynopsisExplore and celebrate Korean culture in America through photographs and interviews by award-winning photographer Emanuel Hahn.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The paper comes as a book with the sheets folded and perforated for ease to remove them. Each book comes with twelve 18-inch by 24-inch sheets…These are quality papers and I love how they give you a bit of the history of the special fabrics from Asia." --Crafty Moms Share blog"Tuttle Publishing has a range of groovy and beautiful gift wrapping papers, just perfect for wrapping up your multicultural gifts for friends and family…if you think you can spare to share these elegant papers!" --CastleViewAcademy.com"These premium wrapping papers are so beautiful and artistic that I knew our loved ones would feel very special receiving presents wrapped with them." --AllDoneMonkey.com

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Book SynopsisIn Kansai Cool anthropologist, writer and filmmaker Christal Whelan offers profound insights in the only collection of essays to focus on Kansai, Japan's ancient heartland.Trade Review"This fascinating collection of essays illuminates the mind-blowing diversity of "cool" in contemporary Japan. From Lolita fashion to Buddhist microtemples, this is a must-read for anyone interested the hidden treasures of Kyoto, Osaka and Nara." --Ian Condry, MIT professor and author of The Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan's Media Success Story"Christal Whelan's highly intelligent new book on the essence of Japan seems to manage to include a revelation on every page…Endlessly engaging and supremely readable." --Simon Winchester, OBE, journalist, author of The Professor and the Madman"Kansai Cool is much more than an excellent guide to visiting this region of the country of the Rising Sun. It is, as the subtitle says, a trip to the cultural heart of Japan, to its most authentic character." --Fernando Cid Lucas, Chief Director Revista Internacional Korkoro

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Tokyo's history could easily fill a volume twice this size, but Mansfield makes it feel complete, exploring not only how the city changed and grew, but why, and how it responded to various crises and obstacles. Tokyo: A Biography brings the city to life." --San Francisco Book Review"Tokyo: A Biography is a curious way to look at a city, traveling from its shogunate infancy through the growing pains of a fiery adolescence and onto its later years as it strives to find itself and build an identity…" --Seattle Book Review"One of the pleasures of the book is Mansfield's prose, which draws on his considerable poetic skill to deliver memorable formulations…The range of approaches to writing the city is as varied as the city itself, including social history, natural and human geography, social ethnography, and studies in visual and material culture." --The Japan Times

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Book SynopsisThis pack contains 200 high-quality, large 6.75 inch origami sheets printed with delicate and colourful chiyogami patterns

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A cool, clever and captivating look at modern Japan. A one of a kind approach to explaining Japanese culture. Buy two copies and give one to a friend." --Robert Whiting, author of You Gotta Have Wa"Feel lost in Tokyo? Don't know what's going on? You need Clueless in Tokyo. This colorful guide will, ahem, clue you in to the city's sights and sounds." --Brian Ashcraft, author of Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential"Drawn in charming watercolor sketches with accompanying Japanese terms…this is a must-read!" --I Am Aileen blog

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisVietnam became part of French Indochina in 1887 and did not regain its independence again until after the Vietnam War. However, despite a relatively peaceful two decades the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. In an effort to change this stagnation, Vietnamese authorities have committed to economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The third edition of this dictionary focuses on the recent changes and leadership of Vietnam while giving due attention to the earlier kingdoms, the period of French Indochina, the wars for liberation, the Vietnam War, and much more. Hundreds of cross-referenced A to Z dictionary entries are included on political, economic, social and cultural aspects as well as the major cities and geographic features. This book also contains a chronology and introduction that traces Vietnam''s history, as well as a biblTrade ReviewBesides updating entries, this new edition adds material on developments since the publication of the second edition, in 1998, as well as on premodern history and culture... * Booklist *Table of ContentsPart 1 Editor's Foreword Part 2 Preface Part 3 Reader's Notes Part 4 Acronyms and Abbreviations Part 5 Maps Part 6 Chronology Part 7 Introduction Part 8 THE DICTIONARY Part 9 Appendixes Chapter 10 A. A Brief Outline History of Vietnam Chapter 11 B. Rulers of Vietnamese Kingdoms, 10th-19th Centuries Chapter 12 C. Emperors and Governors under Colonial Rule Chapter 13 D. Leaders of Independent Vietnamese Governments Chapter 14 E. Communist Party General Secretaries Chapter 15 F. Population of Vietnam (Yearly Estimates) Chapter 16 G. Population Distribution According to Province and Municipality Chapter 17 H. Population by Ethnic Background Chapter 18 I. Key Social and Economic Indicators Part 19 Bibliography Part 20 About the Authors

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Book SynopsisTrade Reviewa very useful reference guide and is recommended... * American Reference Books Annual, March 2008 *This is a superb, authoritative, and comprehensive guide and dictionary, indispensable for pivotal individuals, as well as for events, treaties, even debates in the extraordinary—and extraordinarily revealing—150 years of relations between Japan and the United States. -- Walter LaFeberThe compilers of this volume, John Van Sant, Peter Mauch, and Yoneyuki Sugita have drawn on a wide range of sources, listed in the useful sixteen-page bibliography, to produce this wealth of information on a variety of subject areas. . . . The main value of this publication is to be derived from the rich and comprehensive 243-page body of the dictionary. The entries are written in clear and succinct prose, many of which point the reader in the direction of other related head words that are presented in bold type. . . . [A] practical and welcome resource for those studying U.S.-Japanese relations and an important reference work that should definitely be held by institutions with programs in Asian and American studies. * H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online, August 2009 *The Japanese started arriving in America as castaway sailors in the 1840s. By 1853 President Millard Fillmore responded with a commodore, escorted by the biggest battleships in the world, to negotiate trade relationships in Japan. Thus began the complex relationship that developed between the US and Japan, partially based upon "gentlemen's agreements" that excluded the Japanese from the US, and partly based on the threat or reality of war. Working from an initial chronology, these entries describe the people and events that eventually became one of the world's more amicable relationships. Here Junichiro Koizumi expresses his opinion of the US with a denunciation of terrorism at 9/11 followed by a visit to North Korea; here liberal Mike Mansfield impresses conservative Ronald Reagan so much the new president asks Mansfield to retain his post as ambassador to Japan; here we find why Japan's military is even now limited to defense. * Reference and Research Book News, May 2007 *Table of ContentsPart 1 Editor's Foreword Part 2 Acknowledgments Part 3 Reader's Note Part 4 Acronyms and Abbreviations Part 5 Chronology Part 6 Map Part 7 Images Part 8 Introduction Part 9 THE DICTIONARY Part 10 Appendix A United States Presidents and Secretaries of State, 1789-2005 Part 11 Appendix B Japanese Prime Ministers Part 12 Bibliography Part 13 About the Authors

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Book SynopsisBrings together John McRae’s lifetime of work on the Shenhui corpus, including extensively annotated translations of all five of Shenhui’s texts discovered at Dunhuang as well as McRae’s seminal studies of Shenhui’s life, teachings, and legacy.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays, two of which appear in print for the first time, documents the late Holden Furberâs discovery that private ventures, most manifestly deployed in the âcountry tradeâ between Asian ports, played a major role in the European expansion in India before the age of empire. Furber vividly describes how individual entrepreneurs used their positions with East India Companies to build personal fortunes, and how these private endeavours, for which the English East India Company gave more latitude, ultimately worked to the benefit of British power in India. One of the continuing strengths of his work remains its use of archival sources, not only British, but also other archival records, in particular those of The Netherlands and Scandinavia. The essays also highlight important connections, between chartered and âclandestineâ trade, and piracy; of multinational private investments in the increasingly dominant East India Company; and between the trade of the Indian Ocean and Pacific worlds.Trade Review'This commemorative collection of papers is justified by present interest as well as intrinsic value...Furber shows us how history can be, indeed should be, an art as well as a science, even amid the toil of opening up a new field of study.' The Scottish Historical Review 'Although the last of Holden Furber’s major writings appeared in the mid-1970s, his work has not only been very influential in the past but is still widely consulted. A collection of his essays, with the additional bonus of two pieces never previously published, is therefore most welcome.' The International History Review, Vol. XX, No. 2 'As ever, Variorum has provided a great service to scholars and students by publishing the collected works of a leading historian, in this case Holden Furber (1903”93) who, over the course of a lengthy career, established himself as an authority on European trade and imperialism in Asia during the eighteenth century. Our debt to Variorum and the editor is increased considerably on this occasion, because this collection of 14 articles and papers produced by Furber between 1935 and 1976 is drawn from a wide range of often inaccessible publications and includes two items published here for the first time. We are presented with a body of work which, in its totality, represents a major contribution to analysis of the dynamic forces behind, and the form taken by, the European presence in the East.' Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Vol. 26, No. 3 '... an important book. Full of sympathetic insights, written with enjoyment and scrupulous scholarship, it contains the mature reflections of a master, of his sources and of this craft.' The Mariner's MirrorTable of ContentsContents: An abortive attempt at Anglo-Spanish cooperation in the Far East in 1793; The beginnings of American trade with India 1784-1812; The united company of merchants of England trading to the East Indies 1783-96; Madras in 1787; The overland route to India in the 17th and 18th centuries; The East India Company’s financial records; In the footsteps of a German Nabob: William Bolts in the Swedish archives; Bombay presidency in the mid-18th century; Glimpses of life and trade on the Hugli 1720-1770; Madras Presidency in the mid-18th century; The growth of British power in India 1708-1748; The India trade in the Pacific through two centuries 1600-1800; Major Forbes Ross MacDonald and the Arab world: Britain, India and the Middle East 1791-1798; The history of East India companies: general problems; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis second volume of studies by the late Nehemia Levtzion pursues the themes covered in his previous collection, Islam in West Africa; it also maintains a particular interest in the history of Africa while including broader chronological and geographic perspectives. It includes four new papers, delivered by the author in the years before his death, specially prepared for publication in this volume. In the first part, there is an emphasis on processes of conversion and Islamization, but the studies also cover Islamic perceptions of and presence in Africa; the second focuses on Islamic movements of revival and renewal, Sufism and fundamentalism.Trade Review’It is good to have the papers so readily available now. African Studies libraries certainly need to have a copy... Levtzion's work is solidly enough built to last not just as a monument to the man but as a resource for future students on the intellectual prowl.’ Journal of Islamic Studies 'Through the Variorum Collected Studies Series it is possible to gain insight into how particular scholars developed their ideas in specific fields of enquiry. This second collection of Nehemia Levtzion’s work is a welcome addition... an extremely important and useful collection of articles and provides a great testament to Levztion’s work.' British Journal of Middle Eastern StudiesTable of ContentsContents: Introduction: the legacy of Nehemia Levtzion 1935-2003; Nehemia Levtzion: bibliography and curriculum vitae. Part I History, Culture and Societies: Toward a comparative study of Islamization; Conversion under Muslim domination: a comparative study; Conversion to Islam in Syria and Palestine, and the survival of Christian communities; Aspects of Islamization: Weber's observations on Islam reconsidered; Islam in the Bilad al-Sudan to 1800; Arab geographers, the Nile, and the history of Bilad al-Sudan; Islam in African and global contexts: adventures in comparative studies of Islam; The Almoravids in the Sahara and Bilad al-Sudan: a study in Arab historiography; Slavery and the slave trade in the early states of Bilad al-Sudan. Part II Revivalism, Sufism and Fundamentalism: Religious reform in 18th-century Morocco, (with Gideon Weigert); 18th-century Sufi brotherhoods: structural, organisational and ritual changes; The Muslim holy cities as foci of Islamic revivalism in the 18th century, (with Gideon Weigert); The dynamics of Sufi brotherhoods; Resurgent Islamic fundamentalism as an integrative factor in the politics of Africa and the Middle East,; The role of Shari'a-oriented Sufi Turuq in the renewal and reform movements of the 18th and 19th centuries; Index.

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Book SynopsisA biography of Gengis Khan, this book provides a picture showing that the 'bloodthirsty barbarian' was also a visionary statesman and that behind the Oriental despot lay a strategist of genius. It also provides an insight into Mongol society and culture.Trade Review'This [is a ] great saga of Central Asia and the Mongol invasions of the early thirteenth century with, at its centre, the legendary figure of Genghis Khan.' Le Monde

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Book SynopsisFrom the fifteenth to the sixteenth century, the janissaries were the scourge of Europe. Their loyalty to their corps was infinite, as the Ottomans conquered the Balkans as far as the Danube, and Syria, Egypt and Iraq. Who were they? Why were they an elite? Why did they decline and what was their end? This book aims to answer these questions.Trade Review'An incredible book... a tour de force.' Middle East International; 'Well written and lucid.' Muslim World Books Review; 'Goodwin has done so much in his scholarly career to introduce a wide audience to Ottoman culture.' Financial Times

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Book SynopsisBased on research conducted by the Moscow Centre for Civilizational and Regional Studies, this work documents the findings of one of the studies done on the states of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirgizia and Tadjikistan. It analyses the difficulties of state-building and the social upheavals experienced by these republics.

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Book SynopsisRev. George D. Byers, Presbyterian missionary at Kachek, Hainan island, China, was murdered by bandits in 1924. Based on American and British consular archives and those of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and members of the Hainan mission, this is the story of how Mrs. Byers and Mrs. Mabel Roys got the government and their church to take action.

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Book SynopsisDavid Urch vividly evokes the birth of modern day Bangladesh.Bangladesh became an independent state in 1971. But its story - often overshadowed by flood, famine and natural disaster - is one that should make every Bangladeshi proud. David Urch''s vivid narrative evokes the people and the place, describing how, after years of outside influence, modern Bangladesh was born.Urch has spent much of his life living in Islamic countries making this the first comprehensive history of Bangladesh to be written by an Englishman. Recounting what has often been a violent and tragic history, Crescent and Delta explores wider issues, such as the cultural and economic interactions between different faiths and the problems which arise when establishing stable systems of government in places that have a complex history of oppression and exploitation.

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